This book is one of my favorites. It's similar to Speak, so anyone who likes Speak would like Just Listen. Just Listen is a really believable book. The problems that the characters face are really common ones that could happen to anyone. It deals with rape, eating disorders, alienation at school, problems with parents and anger management. But the characters really make the story. Annabel Green is like any ordinary girl. Annabel's mom pushes her really hard to be a good model, just like she's done with Annabel's sisters. Her family isn't always behind her; her sister Whitney is struggling with Anorexia and her sister Kristen is off in New York. Her best friend Sophie refuses to talk to her and Annabel still can't come to terms with what happened to cause that. Then Annabel meets Owen, who is totally cool. He's never without his iPod and he never, ever lies. Owen is the total opposite of Annabel, who won't tell anyone what happened to her. I like this book more than Speak because there's so much more going on. Speak is about Melinda being attacked and then just going through the motions. But in Just Listen, Annabel is faced with so much more and pulls through all of it in a really believable way. Just Listen is a very emotional book that makes me feel much more than Speak did and I think anyone who liked Speak will really love Just Listen.
This book is one of my favorites. It's similar to Speak, so anyone who likes Speak would like Just Listen. Just Listen is a really believable book. The problems that the characters face are really common ones that could happen to anyone. It deals with rape, eating disorders, alienation at school, problems with parents and anger management. But the characters really make the story. Annabel Green is like any ordinary girl. Annabel's mom pushes her really hard to be a good model, just like she's done with Annabel's sisters. Her family isn't always behind her; her sister Whitney is struggling with Anorexia and her sister Kristen is off in New York. Her best friend Sophie refuses to talk to her and Annabel still can't come to terms with what happened to cause that. Then Annabel meets Owen, who is totally cool. He's never without his iPod and he never, ever lies. Owen is the total opposite of Annabel, who won't tell anyone what happened to her. I like this book more than Speak because there's so much more going on. Speak is about Melinda being attacked and then just going through the motions. But in Just Listen, Annabel is faced with so much more and pulls through all of it in a really believable way. Just Listen is a very emotional book that makes me feel much more than Speak did and I think anyone who liked Speak will really love Just Listen.
Molly Duncan